Fresh reports from pilots subjected to ramp checks and aircraft searches suggest a pattern, though federal officials remain, essentially, moot on the details.

A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) declined to provide details about aircraft searches and ramp checks conducted by CBP agents, citing “the Privacy Act among other legal and policy considerations” that preclude the agency from discussing specific cases.

“CBP does not release information to the public about individuals who may be encountered by Air Interdiction Agents,” the May 22 statement said. It was the federal government’s first response to questions submitted May 14 requesting information on policies and practices, and the limits of the agency’s authority.